Treatment of storage-battery gases



June 1,1926. 1,587,147

J. M. CLARK TREATMENT OF STORAGE BATTERY GASES Fild July 18, 1922 Patented June l, 1926.

ATENT oFFilcE.

JOHN 1u. CLARK, or WuITEsToNE, NEW YORK.

' f TREATMENT OF STORAGEBATTERY GASES.

Application filed July 18, 1922. Serial No. 575,833.

One of the objections to the use of storage batteries on submarines or in anyother place where perfect ventilation cannot be obtained is the danger resulting from the formation of gases during the charge or discharge of the battery. The gases thus formed are not only injurious to the Vhealth. of the operator, but are also explosive, making them doubly dangerous in confined places.

Suggestions have been made in the past of means for eliminating these dangerous gases and some means have been employed. A careful study of these means does not demonstrate their efiiciency or ultimate practicability on submarines because of the obvious lack of free air andbecause of the waste of electrolyte taken over by the exhausting means,

In this application I will attempt to show and describe means forovercomin'g all of the objections thus far discoveredand I will set forth in .detail the mechanisms that I employ.

The accompanying drawing should be reyferred to for a complete understanding of the specification which follows :--4

In the drawing Figpl, is an elevation, partly in section, showing a battery room, a battery and my mechanisms.' 4

Fig. 2, is an enlarged sectional view of a part removed, and

Fig. 3, is a transverse, sectional'view of this part.

`At 10, I show what may be considered the walls ofa battery room and arranged therein is an elevated floor or `platform 11 upon which will be placed, and secured if desired, the cells 12 of a battery.

Over the cells and at proper distance therefrom is a manifold 13 which maybe a pipe of properly treated metal or of clay or other suitable material and over the manifold13, a nipple'14 isprovided for each of y the cells 12.

AThe -manifold l13 is carried through the wall of the battery room and as shown in drawing terminates in an elbow 15, connected by a suitable flange to a valve 16. I-Iigh up in the battery room and approxi.- mating the ceiling thereof, another pipe 17 is arranged having its open end projecting into the room and exterior of the room a valve 18 is arranged in the pipe 17.

Low down in the battery room and preferably under the elevated platform 11, Va third pipe 19 is arranged, its open end extending into the battery room to a desirable degree and exterior of the battery roomy a valve 20 is arranged in the pipe 19.

`The three pipes 15, `17 and .19 may be brought together in a cross union 21 and to one arm of which is secured a short length of pipe 22, perforated. at its under side as shown `at 23. This short pipe 22 projects into a chamber or reservoir 24 and arranged in this chamber and over the pipe 23 is a floater 25. f i

To the upper end of the chamber 24, I

'connect an air pipe 26. The lower end of the interior of the cells 12, through the connections thereto which I will later describe. The' discharge from the fan 29 will pass into the'T 30 and from there through the valve 31 into the cabinet 32 or through the valve 33 and pipe 34. l *j The pipe 34 may terminate into the free atmosphere, if such is available, but if the device is used lon a submarine when submerged and it is desired that the air, from the blower 29 be again used, it may be dis' charged into the cabinet -32 and through suitable screens o r filters 35 therein through the valve 36 and back into the atmosphere within the submarine. The screen 35 may be made of, slabs of sodium carbonate-or other alkaline `material or anyr other material or substance that will neutralize the acid fumes which may be present'in the air. rlhis is also true of the filter 25 lwhich may be merely a filter mass ofvsuflicient density to filter out the liquid'combined in the air and gases passing through the chamb'er24 or may be made of a neutralizing material. Iy prefer, however, that it merely filter, without neutralization so that acid carried over to this point may be preserved and collected and returned to the batteries.

Connected to the nipples 14 are flexible rubber nipples or connections 37 and other flexible rubber nipples or connections 38 are arranged on the tubes 39 ot the cells l2. Between the flexible members 37 and 38 I arrange" a liquidseparator asishow'n in section in Fig. 2. This separator may be formed lof hard rubber or other suitable material andin two parts as' shown at' 4'() and 41. The parts may be screw-threaded together as shown at il@ and between the parts I will arrange a screen-'i3'. Eames 1t-it and 45 are arranged in two parts of this device andiiipple projectionsf and 47,'each provided -with a flange as shown at'48 and 494 arefprovided foie-'theY reception o the flexible members 37 *andV 3S.'

Gases `'thrown off by lastorage cell under charge or ldischarge are saturated with Iacid. Ii tliis"tveie not -so the` electrolyte 'in the cells rwould not have its -level 7appreciably lowered. These saturated acid' fumes 'deposit their liquids -i`ipon"any"point whe're condensation can take place with'a result that connections are destroyed and all ni'etallic parts local to or associated with the batter-y or. battery room are soon leaten away. It /is'my desire to Aas far 'as possible limit the ainountot'acid or liquid-thrown Yoff by the batteryin service. I `do this by drawing away the gasesand to vcompletelyand quickly aspofssible separatewoiit theliquid from the gases, returning ythe 'liquid to the cells-and -Ifhaye ,foundi-'that agreat p'ercentage ofthe liquid or 'moisture will be separated out by the device shownin Fig. 2. Vliile Ifbelieve that -'the devicehere shown willeffectively ca'retorthe gases 'thrown off bythe'storajge"battery, it is well known tliat'fmostffugitive' gases;y such as chlorine gases and' dryl sulphuric acid gases will' escape through the battery 'connections and vents and if allowedfto these Igaseswill collect ,within the battery roo'mg the, chlorine gases low down near'the floor and the lacid desciibedneiidther iiiodiiatioiis .may be, made within the scope. 40f the' appended dlaiiiisuitheut departing trom .the iiriiiipl@ .orsacrificiig thefadraniwses .of 'die 'iiiveiililtering and neutralizing vthe'J ldisc yhereinset torthf.

Having carefully and fully described my invention, what I claim and desire to obtainlbyLetters Patent is l. The combination with a storage battery and a battery room of a means for removingv the gases therefrom, said means including in the order named, an eutrained moisture removing means, a iiiaiiiilold, a suspended moisture removing means, a suction producing means, a neutralizing means and a discharge. f f I 2. A 'device of the 'character described having a chamber under pressure, means tor producing said pressure,means for 'connecting the suction side fot said pressure producing means'to'a' battery and battery roon'i and means within said chamber Jfor filtering and neutralizing the'gases received from said battery and batteryf-lroom. y Y

i 3. A device of the character described having achamber under pressure, means 'for producing said pressure, means `tor connecting thel suction side of said pressure producing means to afbattery and battery room, means within' said-chamber for filtering and neutralizing the gases Ireceived fromisaid battery and battery room .and means between th'e battery and the suction producing means though away from said .battery for removing thesensible lmoisture from tlie'discharge from the battery. i

jigJIn a device of the l' character described comprising means for subjecting theI cellsfoit a battery to a suctioinuneansfor separating and returning the entraii'ied moisture from the" discharge of said'fb'attery, meansfor 'separating the suspended moisti'ire'fifm'the discharge of said battery'faiid means 'apart from. said.` moisture, removing means'v for @Lof said battery, all combined asfheiei-n' set forth.

5. 4In a device of the.characterdescribed comprising means for subjecting the licells of a batterylto a suction, meansfor separating and returning'the entrainedfmoisture from lthe discharge of said batteryfmeans for separating thefsuspended inoisturefand after the eiitiainednioistu'ife'is reinoved,iand

n -I'|.| x s, ,'vll .1 means fornfiltering and neutralizing the dis- @Signedy city, 'ICQllIlIY ,Statel Vof NewYork, this 13th day of J ar :ma: 

